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Family centre

Foster familyoffice

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Duties of the foster family office:

1. Recruitment of foster families

2. Training of foster families

3. Preparation for placement

4. Instruction, guidance and support to foster families

5. Supplementary education

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CONCEPTS OF FOSTER FAMILY ACTIVITIES:

A family home in the Child Welfare Act = a foster home

A family carer in the Child Welfare Act = a foster parent

A child placed in family care based on the Child Welfare Act = a foster home child or a placed child

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RECRUITMENT OF FOSTER FAMILIES We search for foster families through adds in newspapers

Foster family information and preliminary information form

Office and home visits

Continuation plan together with the family

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Absolute obstacles

If a family is willing to continue until training, we check whether there are any absolute obstacles.

Absolute obstacles can include e.g. housing conditions, state of health, age of parents, human relationships of the family, economic situation, criminal record.

A statement from the municipality’s social welfare board.

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Pride training

Developed in the U.S. The Pride programme is being used in the following European countries:

Finland

The Netherlands

Belgium

Sweden

Norway

Hungary

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Has aroused interest also in the following countries:

Estonia

Poland

Denmark

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PRIDE IS A 14-STEP MODEL FOR DEVELOPING FOSTER CARE

It is divided into three main sections:

1. Planning of family care – definition of starting points and analysis of resources

2. Preparation for family care - preliminary preparation for families and joint evaluation

3. Implementation of family care – co-operation, support and supplementary education

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The Finnish Federation of Foster Care Associations is the national specialist organisation for fostering families and their regional associations. It supports foster families through its member associations.

Save the Children is a non-profit organisation, which aims to improve the situation of all children and prmotes realisation of the child’s interests in accordance with the Conventiono f the Rights of the Child of the United Nations..

1994 - 1998 Save the Children and the Finnish Federation of Foster Care Associations – PRIDE project

PRIDE programme (Parents Resources for Information, Development and Education)

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FAMILY CARER ACT 1992

Obligates municipalities to organise training for foster families.

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PESÄPUU ry – CENTRE OF EXPERTISE IN CHILD WELFARE – DEVELOPES PRIDE FURTHER

Pesäpuu ry June 1998

Continues the PRIDE project activities in Finland

Maintains and develops the quality of child welfare and family care

Organises training related to special expertise in family care

Organises e.g. training for trainers of Pride training and Pride supplementary education

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OBJECTIVE OF PRIDE TRAINING

•To guarantee all children in need of a foster / adoptive home an opportunity to get to a well prepared and trained family

•To secure continuation of the placement as long as it is necessary from the child’s viewpoint

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CONTENTS OF TRAINING

Home visits: family-based discussions

9 x 3 hours’ group meetings during about three months

Distribution of information

Learning by experience

Experience-based exercices: getting an insight into their own feelings and into the feelings of the child and his parents at different stages of placement

"Book of my life" home work

PRIDE book

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Training ends in a final evaluation carried out together.

PRIDE trainers:

A foster / adoptive parent and a social worker together

Size of training groups: 10 families at maximum

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FACILITIES REQUIRED FROM FOSTER PARENTS:

Ability to protect and take care of the child Ability to take into consideration the child’s developmental needs and delays Ability to support relationships between the child and his biological family Ability to create permanent relationships in the life of the child Ability to act as a member of a professional team

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LEVELS OF LEARNING

1. Recognition

2. Understanding and knowing

3. Utilisation of skills

4. Increasing and deepening of skills

The objective is that persons aiming at becoming foster parents will achieve the level of recognition and knowing during training.

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JOINT EVALUATION

An instrument in training of foster parents

Information and understanding of the special needs of children placed in foster care

Also their families need special skills in their education

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-evaluation is carried out together by the parents and the trainer pair

- requires self-evaluation from the family and making of a conscious decision

- families are encouraged and they are required to participate actively in training

- starting point for evaluation is meeting with the requirements of the child -concrete skills required from the family so that they can be accepted as foster parents are assessed in the evaluation

-evaluation is connected to skills, not to persons

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- clarifies the responsibility of the office carrying out the placement for care of the child

- the aim is to ensure through the evaluation and selection process that the foster parents will be able to meet with the requirements set by the child’s care and education

-emphasises importance of co-operation, encourages professional attitude

- offers the families an opportunity to feel what it is like to act in a professional team for the benefit of children and families

- respects different cultural, language-related and religious values of different families

- the purpose of evaluation is not to judge the families; the family’s values and selections are respected

- emphasises the principle of mutual respect in co-operation

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GROUP MEETINGS IN PRIDE TRAINING

First meeting; getting to know each other

Second meeting: co-operation to obtain permanence

Third meeting; meeting with the needs concerning development; affection

Fourth meeting: meeting with the needs concerning development: losses

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Fifth meeting: support to family relationships

Sixth meeting: meeting with the needs concerning development; discipline and limits

Seventh meeting: Maintenance of family contacts

Eighth meeting: Information about and experiences from family care and adoption

Ninth meeting: End of training

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PREPARATION OF PLACEMENT

Placement work – co-operation between the child, his parents, social workers of the child welfare and other co-operation parties related to the child’s care

Selection of the place for care:

Based on the needs of the child or adolescent and strengths of the foster family

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THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL BE ACQUIRED ABOUT THE CHILD TO BE PLACED IN FOSTER CARE:

Background of the child: information concerning parents

Grandparents and parents’ sisters and brothers

Human relationships in the family and close relatives

Mutual relationship between parents

Emotional relationship between parents, history of relationship

Parents’ attitude towards placement

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Health of the child

Character and behaviour of the child

Development level of the child

Possible medical research and care places and times of the child

School attendance

Behaviour

Previous measures of child welfare

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GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

The family gets to know the child and the child gets to know the family

The child’s parents and the foster family meet and get to know each other

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THE ASSIGNMENT CONTRACT INCLUDES:

Fee of the family carer and period of care

Compensation for the costs due to family care

Leisure time of the family carer and fees and compensations for the leisure time

Support measures needed by the family carer

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CARE PLAN

A document aiming at long-term child welfare work

Drawn up together with the parties concerned:

Child’s parents

Child (taking into consideration his age)

Foster parents

Child’s social worker

Any other necessary party

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The care plan includes:

Conditions and issues which shall be modified

Means and estimated time of achievement of these objectives

Meaning and objectives of the placement

Arrangement of special support and help to the child, his parents and persons taking care of him

The way how contacts between the child and his parents and with other close persons will be realised

The care plan shall be revised according to the need.

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FAMILY CARE FEES

A foster family has no maintenance liability with regard to the child placed in care.

A compensation for expenses, a care fee and a starting compensation are paid for family care.

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Starting compensation – necessary costs due to starting

Beginning from 1.1.2003 the starting compensation is 2 394 EUR at maximum

Can be paid for example for necessary additional furniture and modification work due to a disability of the child placed in family care.

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Compensation for expenses

at least 300 EUR per month and 599 EUR per month at maximum

The compensation for expenses covers the costs due to:

The person’s nutrition and housing

Hobbies

Personal needs and other ordinary expenses

Ordinary health care expenses

And pocket money paid to the child

Costs due to the child’s therapy

Special costs due to studies of the child or young person

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Care fee

Is paid for every child placed in family care.

Beginning from 1.1.2003 it totals 225 EUR at minimum and 673 EUR at maximum per month

The care fee depends on the amount of care needed by the person placed in care

In case of a need for special care the maximum care fee 673 EUR can be doubled (1346 EUR)

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SOCIAL SECURITY

Pension security of a family carer

Pension Act concerning municipal post holders and employees

The pension is accumulated based on the care fee – the accrual percentage is 1.5 %

Accident insurance

Accidents Insurance Act

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A GOOD FOSTER HOME

A foster family is well-balanced and safe, when …

The relationship between parents is in order

There is time and place for the child

There are facilities to meet with the child’s needs

There is flexibility

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There is willingness to accept difference

There is an interest in care and education work

There is willingness to develop as educators

There is an ability to co-operate with the child’s own parents, social workers and other parties taking care of the child

All family members are willing to receive the child as an equal family member

The family’s parents have sufficient resources to act as the child’s foster parents as long as the child needs them

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TAKING CARE OF THE FOSTER FAMILY: instruction, support and guidance to work

Guidance and instruction given by the foster family office

External work guidance

Peer support groups for foster parents

Other forms of support

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Guidance and instruction given by the foster family office

Particularly important at the initial phase of placement – for a foster family starting their activities

In the beginning the social worker makes a home visit in the foster family even once per month

Established activities – a home visit at least once per year

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External work guidance is organised in the form of group work guidance

In some cases also family-based external guidance is needed

e.g. through the child guidance and family counselling clinic if the child already has a care relationship with the party in question

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Peer support groups for foster parents

– from a foster parent to a peer trainer

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Other forms of support

Home service

Family substitute

STatutory vacation in the form of holidays – a holiday substitute family

Statutory holiday – one weekday per each calendar month during which the parent has acted at least 14 days as foster parent based on the assignment contract

A family substitute - to the home of the foster family

Extra holidays

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SUPPLEMENTARY EDUCATION

Training related to varied themes:

E.g. psychologists, children’s psychiatrists, experts of chilren’s growth and development as lecturers

Training combined with recreation, meeting with other foster families and also taking children into consideration in training

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PRIDE supplementary education:

In groups, interactively Interactive lecturing Work in groups and pairs Operational exercices

Supplementary education is an important element in supporting foster parents.

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PRIDE SUPPLEMENTARY EDUCATION SECTIONS:

Self-esteem and interaction 12 hours - 4 meetings

Discipline and limits 9 hours - 3 meetings

Child’s family relationships 12 hours - 4 meetings

Intoxicant addiction 15 hours - 5 meetings

Base pillars of foster care 12 hours - 4 meetings

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